Getty Mike Weber #40 of the Dallas Cowboys during a NFL preseason game at AT&T Stadium on August 24, 2019 in Arlington, Texas.
The Green Bay Packers are resorting to some emergency help with the status of their lone punter — JK Scott — now in question for Sunday’s road game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Shortly after adding Scott to the Week 11 injury report due to a “personal matter” on Saturday afternoon, the Packers announced the signing of former Los Angeles Chargers punter Drew Kaser to their active roster as a contingency plan in the event their primary option is unavailable against the Colts.
The Packers also elevated former Dallas Cowboys running back Mike Weber from the practice squad to their game-day roster in Week 11, providing them with emergency depth behind Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams. Tyler Ervin has already been ruled out with wrist and ribs injuries, while rookie AJ Dillon remains on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Kaser averaged 47.4 yards per punt on 146 attempts during his three seasons with the Chargers, but the former sixth-round pick hasn’t played a game since getting waived midway through the 2018 season. The Packers actually took him on as an emergency option that year, too, when Scott was possibly going to need to miss a game for the birth of his first child, but the timing worked out and Kaser wasn’t needed.
Kaser visited with the Packers earlier this week and thus had already undergone all the necessary COVID-19 testing procedures to join the active roster on short notice. Whether he plays his first game in more than two years comes down entirely to Scott’s status.
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Dillon Could Return Soon
The Packers have now gone through nearly the entire month without Dillon on their active roster after the second-round rookie running back landed on the COVID-19 list on Nov. 2. He was not brought back in advance of Week 11’s matchup with the Indianapolis Colts, which is part of the reason why Weber was called up for game day on Sunday afternoon.
The good news is Dillon’s return should be right around the corner, assuming he is simply clearing protocols and not dealing with health issues related to the coronavirus. Unless Dillon has shown symptoms or tested positive within the last 10 days, he should be eligible to be activated back to the 53-man roster for Week 12’s game against the Chicago Bears.
Dillon had taken five rushing attempts in three consecutive games before being forced to spend time away from the active roster. Head coach Matt LaFleur had also been regularly expressing interest in getting him more involved in the offensive game plan, an approach that could be important for the future with Jones, Williams and Ervin all due to become free agents in 2021.
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